A few months after his death, Shock G might be honored in his adopted town of Oakland.
If it’s left up to two Oakland City Council members, Carroll Fife and Loren Taylor August 25th will be “Digital Underground Day.”
The Members introduced a resolution to move the initiative forward, stating that it wanted to recognize Shock G, whose real name was Gregory Edwards, “for his achievements and contributions to the global arts community, particularly in Oakland for bringing global attention to Oakland arts and entertainment.”
The resolution further stated biographical information about his illustrious career.
It stated, “Shock G continually helped to develop emerging musical talent, including now-legendary local artists such as Tupac Shakur, Raw Fusion (Money B and DJ Fuze), Saafir the Saucee Nomad, The Luniz, Mystic, Cleetis Mack, Pee Wee and many others.”
It continued, “Despite all the other talent in the mix, Shock G was the leader and mainstay of the group, delighting crowds with his wild outfits, great music and cool stage personas. The latter are even listed in the purposed legislation, referencing the characters ‘Humpty Hump’, Edward Ellington Humphries III, MC Blowfish, Rackadelic, The Piano Man (and) Peanut Hakeem Anafu Washington.”
“Shock G showed great versatility as a bandleader, rapper, producer, and musician, whether playing Classical piano over funk loops, sampling Stevie Wonder and Jimi Hendrix, or making ‘a dollar out of fifteen cents.’”
The resolution concluded, “Shock G’s creative vision and artistic brilliance was instrumental to Digital Underground’s success and an essential part of the historic legacy of Oakland hip-hop, which has achieved national and global significance. August 25th shall henceforth be known as ‘Digital Underground Day’ in the City of Oakland, California, and Shock G shall be paid tribute on this day in 2021.”
As reported by AllHipHop.com, the gifted rapper, who was responsible for songs like “The Humpty Dance,” “Same Song,” and more, died at the age of 57 on April 22, 2021 from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, alcohol and methamphetamine.
They will be voting on this resolution on Tuesday, July 20.